Obviously NHL GMs weren’t watching the Pro Bowl. Math was never my thing, but, one…two…14 NHL players were traded on Sunday. Here are the trades that went down:

* Toronto picked up Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf, right wing Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect Keith Aulie in exchange for forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers and defenseman Ian White

About the trade Dion Phaneuf said, "It was definitely a shock, but I'm very excited about going to Toronto and being a Maple Leaf. It's part of the business. It's a cliche, if Wayne Gretzky can get traded anyone can get traded. I was very surprised, but on the other hand I'm very excited to be going to the biggest hockey market in the world."

* Toronto dealt veteran forward Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala in exchange for Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere

* Calgery Flames have reportedly traded forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust for forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins

In other trade news, the General Manager of the Atlanta Thrashers Don Waddell was spotted at the New Jersey Devils vs. Los Angeles Kings game. The Kings are a prime candidate in the race for Ilya Kovalchuk. I suppose Waddell, who would not talk about Ilya, could have been there on vacation or maybe to do some of his own scouting, but more likely he was there looking to spot Ilya’s replacement. Kovalchuk is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)

• MLB Properties Files Suit Against Upper Deck for Using Trademarks Without a License
• Transaction Action: Mora, Garko, Cabrera, Gross, Miles, Rosales, Tavares and More
• Potential Sale of the Astros a Case of Opportunity for McLane
• LWIB: Salary Cap in MLB, Reforming the Draft, Biz Tidbits
• 2010 Projected Player Salaries - Los Angeles Dodgers
• Brian Wilson Reaches $4.4375M Mid-Point Deal With Giants, Avoids Arbitration
• 2010 Projected Player Salaries - Texas Rangers
• Arbitration Round-Up: Saunders, Feldman Reach 1-Yr Deals
• Athletics Sign Michael Wuertz to 2-yr, $5.25M Deal to Avoid Arbitration
• Transaction Action: Seattle Scoops Up Eric Byrnes
• Projected 2010 Player Salaries - New York Yankees
• First Two Minor League Drug Suspensions of 2010 Announced
• Projected 2010 Player Salaries - The Boston Red Sox
• Projected 2010 Player Salaries - The Atlanta Braves
• First Look: MLB.com's "At Bat" for iPad

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

Washington, D.C. – (Jan. 22, 2010) The NFL Players Association, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) today announced the creation of the “One Team 4 Haiti” campaign to support the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund’s focus on the country’s earthquake relief and recovery efforts.

The campaign will launch with a text message fund-raising effort supporting the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. In the U.S., supporters can text the word “TEAM” to 20222 to donate $10. Canadian supporters can text the word “TEAM” to 20222 (starting on 1/23/10) to donate $5. The amount will be charged to donor’s cell phone bill. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised by the texting campaign will go directly to relief efforts.

The “ONE TEAM 4 HAITI” campaign will also promote relief efforts in Haiti by airing public service announcements featuring professional athletes from all four major sports.

QUOTES FROM EACH PLAYERS ASSOCIATION:

NFLPA: “I am proud to be a part of this ONE TEAM initiative, bringing together professional athletes from baseball, basketball, hockey and football to lend a hand to the people of Haiti,” said Kevin Mawae, NFLPA President. “The devastating effects of this earthquake will be difficult to overcome, but we urge all sports fans to join our team to make a difference by helping relief efforts in any way they can. It is my hope that this ONE TEAM alliance of players associations will continue to work together with our fans to help those in need for many years to come.”

MLBPA: “We are looking forward to joining forces with our peers in the NFLPA, NBPA and NHLPA to help raise awareness and funds for Haiti, and we encourage others to support the country’s recovery efforts any way they can,” stated MLBPA Association Representative, Mark Loretta. “As we have all seen, the damage has been devastating and the need for aid will be present for years to come. Please support our One Team 4 Haiti campaign and help us do our part to restore hope in the hearts and minds of all Haitians.”

NHLPA: “Since the earthquake hit their country, the Haitian people – including friends and family of mine – have been through so much devastation. NHLPA members, together with the members of the NFLPA, MLBPA and the NBPA, hope that we can make a meaningful contribution and encourage sports fans across North America to join us in helping Haiti,” said Georges Laraque, NHLPA Member. “One Team 4 Haiti is a wonderful initiative which we are proud to be a part of as it unites our Associations to achieve the goal of helping provide relief to this country in desperate need.”

NBPA: “The destruction of Haiti and despair of the Haitian people has touched us all,” said Derek Fisher, NBPA President. “From the first day that this disaster occurred, NBA players from around the league have urged our union to assist in any way possible. The NBPA is proud to partner with our fellow athletes in the NFLPA, NHLPA and MLBPA. We are urging as many people as possible to come together to support the “One Team 4 Haiti” campaign.”

ABOUT THE CLINTON BUSH HAITI FUND:
The earthquake that rocked the coast of Haiti killed or injured a devastating number of people. Even more were left in need of aid, making this is one of the major humanitarian emergencies in the history of the Americas. In the aftermath of the disaster, President Barack Obama asked President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush to raise funds for immediate, high-impact relief and long-term recovery efforts to help those who are most in need of assistance. In response, the two Presidents established the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) to respond to unmet needs in the country, foster economic opportunity, improve the quality of life over the long term for those affected, and assist the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives and “build back better.” The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will do this by working with and supporting the efforts of reputable 501(c) (3) nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations. Presidents Clinton and Bush oversee the CBHF through their respective nonprofit organizations, the William J. Clinton Foundation and Communities Foundation of Texas. One hundred percent of donations made to the Clinton Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts. For more information, visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

ABOUT THE NFLPA
The NFL Players Association is the exclusive collective bargaining agent for all players employed by clubs of the National Football League. Founded in 1956, the NFLPA works to ensure that the rights and interests of NFL players are protected. In addition, the NFLPA strives to be a valuable resource and to maximize player opportunities on and off the field through membership programs and community activities. For further information, visit www.NFLPLAYERS.com.

ABOUT THE MLBPA
The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the thirty Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League baseball players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and the Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust, a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players.

ABOUT THE NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labor organization whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such as labor relations, product licensing, marketing, international hockey and community relations. In 1999, the NHLPA launched the Goals & Dreams fund to give back to the game they love. Since inception, more than 40,000 deserving children in 22 countries have benefited from the players' donations of hockey equipment. Goals & Dreams has donated more than $18-million to grassroots hockey programs making it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the NHLPA, please visit NHLPA.com .

ABOUT THE NBPA
As the recognized labor union for all NBA Players, the NBPA has fought to promote the best interests of NBA players both on and off the court for over 40 years. Whether we are negotiating a collective bargaining agreement, prosecuting a grievance on a player’s behalf, or counseling a player on benefits or educational opportunities, our mission remains the same – To ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected, and that everything possible is being done to help players maximize their opportunities and achieve their goals on and off the court. www.NBPA.com.

Source: MLBPA, NFLPA, NHLPA, NBPA, Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)

• Players Unions From MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA Join Clinton Bush Fund-Raising Effort for Haiti Earthquake Relief
• Shane Victorino Gets 3-yr, $22M Deal from Phils to Avoid Salary Abritration
• Transaction Action: Royals Sign Rick Ankiel
• Over Half-A-Billion Dollars Allocated Through Salary Arbitration Contracts
• Brewers Agree with Coffey on 1-yr Deal Avoiding Arbitration
• Transaction Action: Angels Pick Up Pineiro to Fill Out Rotation
• Transaction Action: Dotel and Pirates Agree on Deal
• Phillies, Blanton Agree on 3-yr, $24M Deal Avoiding Salary Arbitration
• MASN Releases 2010 Broadcast Schedule for Nationals and Orioles
• Mariners Settle with League on a 1-yr, $1,087,500 Deal, Avoiding Arbitration
• Texas Rangers Sale Down to Dotting the "I"s and Crossing "T"

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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What made the USA victory is 1980 over U.S.S.R. special wasn’t just the political turmoil, it was that all the USA players were college kids. They faced up against mighty U.S.S.R. pros and took them down, resulting in the greatest upset and greatest game in the history of American sports. Now, pros play pros and even an upset such as Czech Republic’s Olympic victory in 1998 still featured the NHL’s best including Dominick Hasek, Jaromir Jagr and Robert Lang. The NHL’s commissioner Gary Bettman would like to take it back to 1980 and keep the NHL’s biggest stars out of the Olympics.

Bettman said Thursday he planned on “discussing the issue” with the Players Association. "It's difficult for any business, any league, to shut down for two weeks with the attendant loss of attention and everything that flows from that," Bettman told reporters after speaking to a business audience in Calgary, where three players from the NHL's Flames will compete in Vancouver. "And there are competitive issues. Our teams send a varying amount of players to the Olympics and so a team that sends eight or nine players may come back a little more tired and banged up than an NHL team that sends none or one or two."

The current rule began with the Czech’s shocker in Nagano, Japan in 1998. Major League Baseball does not allow its players to compete in Olympics, which the NBA does. The NBA’s season, however, is not interrupted for the Olympics as the NHL’s is. The only other professional league that sends players in the middle of its season is the WNBA. Bettman’s concern is that some teams send several players while other teams keep their best fresh.

Bettman did note the importance of the NHL’s players playing in Olympics hosted in North American cities, but said he wasn’t sure if the same stood true for Olympic games in other hemispheres. "So the question is, is it worth it? I don't have an answer for that yet and it's fortunately something we don't have to decide right now," he said.

(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)

• Brewers Agree with Coffey on 1-yr Deal Avoiding Arbitration
• Transaction Action: Angels Pick Up Pineiro to Fill Out Rotation
• Transaction Action: Dotel and Pirates Agree on Deal
• Phillies, Blanton Agree on 3-yr, $24M Deal Avoiding Salary Arbitration
• MASN Releases 2010 Broadcast Schedule for Nationals and Orioles
• Mariners Settle with League on a 1-yr, $1,087,500 Deal, Avoiding Arbitration
• Texas Rangers Sale Down to Dotting the "I"s and Crossing "T"

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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It is the most unique event among the four major sports. The Winter Classic takes highly-paid NHL players and turns them into children. It turns an arena into a backyard pond. It turns a baseball stadium into a frozen palace. This season’s Winter Classic, which takes place in Boston’s Fenway Park, will be the third of its kind. The first in Buffalo ended with Sidney Crosby, the face of the NHL, scoring the game winning goal in a shootout. The second matched up two of the original six franchises, Chicago and Detroit, in a high scoring battle, ending 6-4 Red Wings.

From the business side of things, SportsBusiness Journal reported that the NHL sold out sponsorship. The 16 partners spent more than $10 million, double what sponsors spent last season. Here’s a list of all the official partners: Title: Bridgestone Associate sponsors: Honda, Verizon, Geico, U.S. Army Partners: McDonald’s, Reebok, Bud Light, Pepsi, XM, Compuware, Ticketmaster Licensees: EA Sports, Twins, Upper Deck Other: History Channel

Back to the game! As the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers prepare for Jan. 1, we look the three biggest issues surrounding this year’s Winter Classic.

Weather – My FOX Boston reported that rain is forecasted for New Year’s day. Rain delays are always a possibility in any open baseball stadium, and though they aren’t usually expected in January, the murmurs of rain have everyone nervous. Dan Craig and his ice crew especially. Craig said in an interview this week that the ice could be ready to go two-and-a-half to three hours after heavy rain. There were delays in Buffalo for snow and the game was played amongst flurries. As far as aesthetics go, flurries are more majestic than drizzle, but, as long as the game goes off hitch-less, no one’s going to complain.

TV Ratings – Last season, the Winter Classic set a record as the highest rated regular season NHL game. It drew a 2.9 despite having several high-profile college bowl games such as the Capital One Bowl on ABC (7.2) and the Gator Bowl on CBS (4.3) as air-wave competition. Locally, Chicago, which averaged a 1.07 local rating during 2008-’09, scored big with a 11.8 for the Winter Classic. Will we see a similar buzz for the city of Boston? The Bruins averaged a local rating of 2.16 last season, so, as long as the Lakers aren’t in town, the Winter Classic should score big on Boston TV’s.

Good Game? – This could ruin it all. The Flyers currently sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with only 38 points, third lowest in the East. The Bruins are second in the Northeast Division with 45 points and stand sixth in the East. Looks bad, but as far as scoring goes, the Flyers have 106 goals for and 109 goals against. The Bruins have 99 and 94. Not a big difference, or maybe I’m just being optimistic.

The real problem may not be lack of competition, it may be the lack of a household name. The first two featured Sid the Kid and Patrick Kane, this game’s biggest star might be Flyers Chris Pronger or Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas. Not quite Alex Ovechkin in the star power category.

(THE BIZ OF BASEBALL)

• The Washington Times Sports Section Dies
• Open Discussion: Pros and Cons of a Salary Cap in MLB
• Red Sox Extend Player Development Contract with Single-A Lowell Spinners
• Transaction Action: Jason Bay to the Mets
• Transaction Action: Minor Moves Round-Up (Mariners, Nationals, D-Backs)
• 10 for 10: The Top 10 Stories in MLB for the Decade
• Transaction Action: Giants Sign Mark DeRosa
• Difference Between Yankees and Lowest Payroll Team (1999-'09)

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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